About Us:
ZEISS is a global technology and innovation leader in optics and optoelectronics. Founded in Germany in 1846, ZEISS operates in 50+ countries and offers career opportunities across engineering, manufacturing, research, sales, and technology.
As a foundation-owned company, ZEISS is committed to responsibility, quality, and continuous innovation. Employees help shape the future through cutting-edge technology and impactful work. With a strong North American presence since 1925 and 20+ locations, ZEISS partners with industries including semiconductor, automotive, biomedical research, and medical technology, and is a leading manufacturer of eyeglass lenses, camera and cinema lenses, and precision optical systems.
What’s the role?
The Head of Sales ZEISS Medical Technology Microsurgery is responsible for leading the commercial strategy, sales execution, market development, customer engagement, and overall business performance of the Microsurgery business across Canada. The incumbent is accountable for achieving revenue, profitability, market share, and growth objectives while ensuring alignment with ZEISS Canada priorities and the broader Microsurgery strategy across the Americas region.
The role provides leadership across key microsurgical specialties, including Neurosurgery, Otolaryngology (ENT), Spine, Radiation Oncology, Dental, and other emerging clinical segments. Working within a matrix environment, the incumbent collaborates closely with Americas Microsurgery leadership, ZEISS Canada leadership, Marketing, Clinical Applications, Service, Finance, and other key stakeholders to drive sustainable business growth and exceptional customer experiences.
The Head of Sales leads, coaches, and develops a team of Account Managers, fostering a culture of accountability, customer focus, commercial excellence, and continuous development. As a player-coach, the incumbent remains actively engaged in strategic account management, executive customer relationships, major capital equipment opportunities, complex negotiations, Requests for Proposal (RFPs), and other key business pursuits while providing leadership and coaching to the commercial team.
The incumbent leverages Salesforce and commercial analytics to drive forecasting accuracy, pipeline visibility, account planning, business insights, and sales performance across the Canadian Microsurgery business
Sound interesting?
Here's what you'll do.
Business Strategy & Market Development
- Develop and execute the Canadian Microsurgery commercial strategy in alignment with regional and global business objectives.
- Identify and evaluate market trends, customer needs, competitive activities and emerging opportunities.
- Maintain a comprehensive understanding of the installed base of microsurgical technologies across Canadian healthcare institutions.
- Identify upgrade, replacement and expansion opportunities through analysis of customer equipment inventories, utilization trends and technology lifecycles.
- Develop business plans to increase market penetration and market share.
- Identify new customer segments and growth opportunities across Canada.
- Recommend strategic initiatives that support sustainable business growth.
Sales Leadership & Business Performance
- Lead all Microsurgery sales activities across Canada.
- Deliver annual revenue, profitability and market share targets.
- Drive execution of national sales plans and strategic initiatives.
- Operate as a player-coach by providing sales leadership, mentoring and performance management while maintaining personal involvement in strategic customer relationships, major opportunities and complex sales pursuits.
- Monitor pipeline health, forecasting accuracy and sales performance metrics.
- Ensure effective utilization of CRM and commercial excellence tools.
- Drive a disciplined sales management process through effective utilization of Salesforce CRM, ensuring data integrity, forecast accuracy, pipeline transparency and opportunity progression.
- Establish and monitor key sales performance indicators, including pipeline coverage, win rates, sales cycle duration, forecasting accuracy, account penetration and market share growth.
- Leverage Salesforce analytics and reporting tools to identify trends, manage risk, assess territory performance and drive informed business decisions.
- Ensure timely and accurate maintenance of customer, opportunity, quotation and competitive information within Salesforce.
- Lead long-term capital equipment opportunity planning and sales execution activities to support sustainable revenue growth.
- Monitor sales cycle progression and resource requirements for large strategic opportunities.
- Lead monthly business reviews and performance discussions.
- Develop and monitor annual budgets and forecasts.
Customer & Stakeholder Management
- Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key customers and healthcare stakeholders.
- Develop strategic account plans for major customers and institutions.
- Increase customer engagement and strengthen long-term partnerships.
- Partner with service and application teams to ensure excellent customer support.
- Represent ZEISS at industry events, conferences and professional associations.
Strategic Accounts & RFP Management
- Lead complex capital equipment sales opportunities from prospecting through proposal development, contract negotiation, installation and post-sale follow-up.
- Direct Requests for Proposal (RFP), Requests for Quotation (RFQ), public tender and Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) opportunities across Canada.
- Develop winning bid strategies and coordinate cross-functional support to deliver high-quality customer proposals.
- Monitor hospital capital planning cycles, procurement initiatives and funding opportunities to proactively position ZEISS solutions.
- Develop executive-level engagement strategies for key accounts and strategic growth opportunities.
Marketing & Commercial Excellence
- Collaborate with Marketing on product launches, campaigns and market development initiatives.
- Support product positioning and value proposition development.
- Monitor competitive activity and provide market intelligence to regional leadership.
- Ensure consistent implementation of sales processes and best practices.
- Utilize Salesforce and commercial analytics tools to evaluate customer engagement, marketing campaign effectiveness and sales conversion rates.
- Partner Marketing to develop targeted customer acquisition and retention strategies based on CRM insights and market intelligence.
Financial Accountability
- Manage sales budgets and commercial investments responsibly.
- Contribute to business planning, forecasting and financial analysis.
- Partner with Finance to evaluate business performance and identify corrective actions where required.
- Support achievement of profitability objectives while balancing long-term growth opportunities.
Leadership & Talent Development
- Lead, coach and develop members of the Canadian Microsurgery commercial team.
- Establish clear performance expectations and accountability measures.
- Conduct performance reviews and development planning.
- Support succession planning and talent development initiatives.
- Coach and develop the commercial team on effective Salesforce utilization, account planning, opportunity management and sales forecasting best practices.
- Foster a culture of accountability through regular pipeline reviews, territory business reviews and data-driven performance management.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation and customer focus.
- Build and sustain a high-performance sales culture focused on accountability, customer centricity, innovation and continuous improvement.
- Develop future sales leaders through coaching, mentoring and structured development plans.
- Champion employee engagement initiatives and reinforce ZEISS Leadership Principles across the sales organization.
- Demonstrate and promote ZEISS Leadership Principles.
Do you Qualify?
Experience and Education Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Life Sciences, Healthcare, Engineering or related discipline.
- MBA or advanced degree considered an asset.
- Minimum 8-10 years of progressive medical device or healthcare sales leadership experience.
- Demonstrated success leading commercial teams and delivering revenue growth.
- Experience working within a matrix organization.
- Capital equipment sales experience preferred.
- Experience in Neurosurgery, ENT, Spine, Surgical Visualization or related healthcare specialties considered an asset.
- Strong strategic planning and business acumen.
- Excellent leadership and coaching skills.
- Strong financial analysis and forecasting capabilities.
- Advanced stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Strong organizational and problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to influence across functions and organizational levels.
- Bilingual English/French is considered an asset.
Working Conditions and Special Demands:
- Standard working hours are typically 40 hours per week Monday – Friday.
- In some cases, especially with the advancement of technology, remote work or flexible work arrangement may be possible. This depends on company’s policies and the nature of the work.
- Willing to travel over weekends and holidays, including domestic and international travel (up to 25% - 50%).
- Ability to work in a multi-cultural business environment, foreign language skills are desirable.
This job description contains the general details considered necessary to outline the principal functions of the job and shall not be construed as inclusive of all work requirements. All position requirements are subject to modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability. The Company reserves the right to interpret, amend, or otherwise modify, in whole or in part, any job description at any time, at its sole discretion.
The annual pay range for this position is $165,000 – $206,000
The pay offered for this role may be influenced by factors such as job location, scope of role, qualifications, education, experience, & complexity/specialization/scarcity of talent.
This position is also eligible for a performance bonus or sales commissions. ZEISS also offers robust benefits, including medical plans, retirement savings plan and paid time off.
We have amazing benefits to support you as an employee at ZEISS!
- Employee Assistance Program
- Paid time off including vacation, personal, and sick days
- The list goes on!
Your ZEISS Recruiting Team:
Debra Ann Rybolt, Lindsay Walker Goodman
As part of our recruitment process, we currently do not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assess applications or make hiring decisions. This job posting is for an existing vacancy.
Accommodation
ZEISS is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices. Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs.